No. 20-183

Billy D. Stair, III v. Charles Jackson

Lower Court: Eighth Circuit
Docketed: 2020-08-19
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Experienced Counsel
Tags: excessive-force fourth-amendment graham-v-connor law-enforcement plumhoff-v-rickard qualified-immunity reasonableness-standard totality-of-the-circumstances use-of-force
Key Terms:
SocialSecurity FourthAmendment JusticiabilityDoctri
Latest Conference: 2021-01-22
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Did the Eighth Circuit depart from this Court's decisions in Graham v. Connor and Plumhoff v. Rickard in denying qualified immunity to petitioner based upon the absence of a constitutional violation by assessing the reasonableness of each of three Taser activations over a nineteen second period, instead of assessing the reasonableness of petitioner's conduct in light of the totality of the circumstances?

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED During a detention, respondent Charles Jackson attempted to strike an officer who was handcuffing him, causing petitioner Billy D. Stair to deploy a Taser, activating it three times in nineteen seconds before Jackson ceased resistance. The district court granted summary judgment to petitioner, finding the force reasonable under the Fourth Amendment. The Eighth Circuit reversed, 2-1. The majority held that while the first and third activations were reasonable as a matter of law, a jury could find the second to be excessive. The dissent agreed with the district court judge, that all three activations were reasonable, noting that Jackson’s “momentarily supine position on the ground was hardly a guarantee of a no-longer aggressive subject... .” The questions presented by this petition are: 1. Did the Eighth Circuit depart from this Court’s decisions in Graham v. Connor, 490 US. 386 (1989) and Plumhoff v. Rickard, 572 US. 765 (2014) in denying qualified immunity to petitioner based upon the absence of a constitutional violation by assessing the reasonableness of each of three Taser activations over a nineteen second period, instead of assessing the reasonableness of petitioner’s conduct in light of the totality of the circumstances? 2. Did the Eighth Circuit depart from this Court’s decision in Kisela v. Hughes, ___ U.S. ___, 188 S. Ct. 1148 (2018) (per curiam) and numerous other cases by denying qualified li QUESTIONS PRESENTED—Continued immunity even though two judges concluded the use of force was reasonable, and notwithstanding the absence of clearly established law imposing liability under circumstances closely analogous to those confronting petitioner?

Docket Entries

2021-01-25
Petition DENIED.
2021-01-06
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/22/2021.
2021-01-04
Reply of petitioner Billy D. Stair filed. (Distributed)
2020-12-18
Brief of respondent Charles Jackson in opposition filed.
2020-11-10
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including December 18, 2020.
2020-11-09
Motion to extend the time to file a response from November 18, 2020 to December 18, 2020, submitted to The Clerk.
2020-10-13
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including November 18, 2020.
2020-10-06
Motion to extend the time to file a response from October 19, 2020 to November 18, 2020, submitted to The Clerk.
2020-08-28
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including October 19, 2020.
2020-08-25
Motion to extend the time to file a response from September 18, 2020 to October 19, 2020, submitted to The Clerk.
2020-08-13
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due September 18, 2020)

Attorneys

Billy D. Stair
Timothy Towery CoatesGreines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP, Petitioner
Timothy Towery CoatesGreines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP, Petitioner
Charles Jackson
David Michael Shapiro — Respondent
David Michael Shapiro — Respondent